David Cameron was accused of an “epic fail” over his broken pledge to slash immigration.
The former prime minister once vowed to bring net migration - the difference between the numbers entering and leaving the UK - down to the “tens of thousands”.
But the government has never come close to achieving that goal - and figures released in November showed it hit 745,000 in 2022.
On Sky News this morning, Lord Cameron - who stunned politics by becoming foreign secretary in the last reshuffle - was quizzed by presenter Trevor Phillips.
“You were the first to say net immigration numbers should fall below 100,000,” Phillips said. “This year, irrespective of the small boats, the figure is over 500,000.
“I think the young people now would call that an epic fail on the part of your government.”
Cameron said the government had announced “very big and clear changes to bring down legal migration”.
These include moves to prevent foreign students bringing family members with them to the UK, and increasing the salary threshold at which immigrants can be given a work visa.
But Phillips told him: “Almost everything you’ve tried has resulted, rather than a drop, but in an increase.”